Neglected  •  • 

(3neyIsland 


4  ■ 


izx  IGtbrtfi 


SEYMOUR  DURST 


-f  '  fort  nltvw   t  im/ferdan  ej>  Jt  Man&atans 


When  you  leave,  please  leave  this  book 

Because  it  has  been  said 
"Ever  thing  comes  (  him  who  waits 

Except  a  loaned  book." 


oy 


AVI  RY  AlU  III  11(11  KAI  WDllM  AIMS  LlURARY 
(ill  I  01  Si  YMoi'k  \i.  Di  km  ()i  i)  York  LIBRARY 


fteglectefr 


UfcSSVCS 

in 


ISSUED  BY 

THE  WEST  END  IMPROVEMENT  LEAGUE 
OF  CONEY  ISLAND 


NEGLECTED  CONEY  ISLAND 


HE  present  movement  to  restore  to  the  people  their  rights  to  the  beach-front  and  to  advocate  the  con- 
struction of  an  immense  boardwalk  or  ocean  promenade,  was  inaugurated  some  four  years  ago  by 
the  West  End  Improvement  League,  and  has  been  gathering  force  since  its  inception.  The  shame 
of  absolute  neglect  and  the  evident  desire  or  intent  to  totally  ignore  the  conditions  generally  had 
roused  up  some  of  the  folks  that  had  come  to  the  west  end  to  live  and  to  erect  homes.  Like  all  other  bodies  of  a 
similar  character  the  organizers  were  beset  by  political  interference  and  hampered  by  the  indifference  of  those 
w  hom  they  would  serve. 

In  the  face  of  determined  effort,  however,  the  opposition  and  indifference  was  worn  down  to  a  negligible 
quantity  and  until  now,  in  the  late  summer  of  191 2,  the  steadfast  ones  of  the  League  may  well  feel  that  their 
efforts  are  soon  to  be  crowned  with  fruition.  Such  being  the  case,  a  brief  resume  of  the  conditions  that  beset 
the  paths  of  the  men  who  stood  by  the  movement  may  not  be  out  of  place. 

Some  eighteen  years  ago,  His  Honor,  the  present  mayor  of  the  City  of  New  York,  performed  at  Coney 
Island  a  service  that  started  him  on  his  public  career,  but  on  one,  however,  that  concerned  only  the  political 
situation.    It  gave  no  consideration  to  the  physical  and  moral  necessities. 

Since  that  time  Coney  Island  has  been,  on  separate  occasions,  a  portion  of  the  former  City  of  Brooklyn, 
and  later,  by  the  provisions  of  the  Consolidation  Act,  merged  with  the  City  of  Greater  New  York. 

During  those  periods  and  until  recently  the  West  End  section  was  in  its  original  condition,  an  area  of 
sand  dunes  and  a  few  scattered  houses  and  three  or  four  eleemosynary  institutions.  Ignored  and  neglected  as 
it  was,  a  large  number  of  families,  recognizing  the  natural  advantages  of  the  section,  its  abundance  of  pure 
air  and  sunshine,  and  appreciating  the  great  possibilities  for  physical  cleanliness  afforded  by  the  ocean,  had 
built  their  homes  there.  The  advantages  observed  by  the  home  builders  were  also  noted  by  the  general  public, 
and  as  a  sequence,  the  rearing  of  hotels,  bathing  establishments  and  other  speculative  investments  had  soon 
capitalized  all  of  the  natural  advantages  for  the  benefit  of  the  few  and  to  the  exclusion  of  the  many. 

This  action  by  the  speculatively  inclined,  and  that  only,  led  to  the  prosecution  of  the  great  work  that  is 
now  about  to  be  consummated.    The  beach  must  be  free,  the  great  natural  highway  must  be  unobstructed,  and 


rage  Thru 


there  must  be  streets  leading  to  the  sea  that  are  wide,  sanitary  and  properly  kept.  These  are  but  natural  facil- 
ities, facilities  that  every  community  should  have  and  every  taxpayer  enjoy.  Given  that  the  members  of  the 
West  End  Improvement  League  will  be  satisfied.  They  simply  desire  to  gain  what  belongs  to  them,  in  com- 
mon with  the  general  public,  for  not  a  person  identified  with  the  movement  owns  a  foot  of  the  ocean-front 
property. 

The  carrying  out  of  all  that  is  desirable  in  the  comprehensive  plan  advanced  by  the  League  requires,  also, 
some  attention  to  the  section  south  of  Surf  avenue  and  lying  between  it  and  the  ocean,  the  far-famed  but  al- 
ways notorious  "Bowery."  The  evils  of  the  Bowery  section  are  a  menace  alike  to  the  charitable  institutions 
with  their  dependent  children  and  to  the  resident  population  with  their  school  children.  The  juxtaposition  of 
such  moral  extremes  is  inharmonious,  and  it  is  a  case  of  the  elimination  of  the  Bowery  or  both  the  others. 

Pictures  10,  n,  12  and  [3  show  the  beach  south  of  the  Bowery  section.  This  is  the  congested  area.  Here 
is  where  all  that  is  objectionable  in  Coney  Island  is  massed  together  in  one  noxious  heap.  Let  us  dwell  briefly 
upon  the  conditions  that  obtain. 

The  beach  is  hemmed  in  on  the  westerly  side  by  the  Steeplechase  barrier  (plate  10),  and  on  the  easterly 
side  by  Peterson's  barrier  (plate  13).  These  barriers  are  so  constructed  that  it  is  necessary  to  go  around 
them  through  dee])  water  to  reach  the  beach  on  the  other  side.  The  only  other  outlet  for  the  people  shown  in 
the  picture  is  through  the  narrow  alleys  leading  to  the  Bowery.  With  this  mass  of  humanity  here  and  in  the 
event  of  a  lire  on  the  Bowery,  there  are  broad  chances  for  a  panic  or  even  holocaust. 

This  is  "no-man's  land,"  the  "land  of  no  rule,"  although  the  sign  in  plate  ten  indicates  that  it  is  "Private 
Beach,"  and  "No  Person  Is  Allowed  To  Undress  On  This  Beach." 

It  is  not  the  indecency  of  the  act  of  undressing  that  here  troubles  the  Beach  Baron.  Fie  is  concerned  only 
with  the  loss  of  his  revenue. 

Mere  on  this  beach,  the  openly  indecent  conduct  of  couples  almost  forces  the  conviction  that  dive  keepers 
are  public  benefactors. 

Without  public  comfort  stations,  many  hundreds  of  men,  women  and  children  are  compelled  to  seek  the 
shadows  beneath  buildings  and  walks  to  answer  the  calls  of  nature. 

Without  police  surveillance — no  police  are  shown  in  the  pictures — all  manner  of  indecencies  in  dress 
and  conduct  go  unchecked. 


Page  Four 


PLATE  ONE 


Taken  from  West  Thirty-seventh  Street.  Lookinc;  Kast. 


The  extreme  westerly  end  of  Coney's  beach,  adjoining  Sea  Gate  at  West  Thirty-seventh  street. 
Hows  under  the  buildings  shown  and  strikes  with  great  force  against  the  bulkhead. 


The  water  at  higrh  title 


Page  Fire 


All  that  is  here  described  is  open  to  the  sky  and  all  may  see;  in  fact,  all  must  see!  But  let  us  go  through 
these  narrow  alleys  leading  to  the  Bowery  and  note  what  is  only  partially  concealed. 

The  low,  shanty  buildings  lining  both  sides  of  these  walks  are  the  hiding  places  of  crime  and  of  criminals. 

Here  are  committed  the  full  calendar  of  crimes  that  force  a  community  to  build  and  support  criminal 
courts,  jails,  states-prisons,  hospitals,  asylums,  poor-houses  and  Potter's  fields. 

Here  is  where  a  few  drops  of  chloral  dropped  into  an  otherwise  innocent  drink,  will  leave  a  girl  victim  at 
the  mercy  of  her  male  companion.  And  the  next  morning  the  cormorants  of  the  neighborhood  may  gloat  over 
an  added  source  of  revenue. 

Nestling  in  here,  surrounded  by  the  red-light's  glare,  and  seemingly  out  of  place,  is  a  little  dry-goods  store. 
Ask  the  why  of  one  of  the  knowing  ones  and  he  will  tell  you.  This  is  where  a  young  girl,  after  making  her  first 
misstep,  is  fitted  out  in  the  gaudy  finery  of  her  new  occupation,  paying  for  it  out  of  the  earnings  of  her  pros- 
titution. 

The  first  responsibility  for  the  gathering  of  vice  in  this  section  is  properly  placed  upon  the  absentee  land- 
lord. Several  of  these  Barons  are  members  of  your  churches  and  no  doubt  drop  some  of  this  tainted  money  in 
your  collection  plates  on  Sunday,  calling,  according  to  the  usual  custom,  on  the  dive  keeper  on  Monday  that  he 
may  replenish  his  hoard.  These  men  know  the  character  of  their  tenants  and  the  trade  they  follow.  And  they, 
too,  are  known  and  can  be  named. 

Owners  here,  doing  business  with  their  names  over  their  establishments,  generally  stand  for  decency. 
But  look  over  the  domain  of  the  absentee  landlord.  Note  that  his  land  is  leased,  for  the  most  part,  to  some  ig- 
norant, debased  foreigner  of  a  class  who  never  will  be  citizens  and  who  never  can  be  assimilated  by  our  institu- 
tions.   Brewers'  money,  loaned  on  lease-hold  mortgages,  built  these  shacks  and  shanties. 

W  hat  fortifies  these  three  cowards,  the  landlord  who  hides  bis  name,  the  brewer  who  would  fear  for  his 
investment,  and  the  foreigner  who  would  fear  our  laws,  that  they  are  so  flaunting  and  defiant  in  their  trans- 
gression ? 

Standing  alone  and  without  the  protection  of  "the  system,"  would  they  not  disappear  upon  the  first  cry 
of  the  ordinary  citizen? 

The  responsibility  for  the  physical  condition  that  fosters  this  vileness  must  be  placed  upon  the  Board  of 
Estimate.    A  generation  ago  the  City  of  New  York  was  confronted  with  a  like  condition  in  the  Five  Points 


Page  Six 


plate  two  Taken  from  West  Thirty-third  Street,  Looking  West. 

Note  the  continuous  bulkhead  on  the  high-water  line.    Every  inch  of  land  is  utilized,  and  the  price  charged  for  access  to 
the  ocean  by  the  "Beach  Barons"  insures  exclusiveness. 

Page  Seven 


section  and  it  solved  the  problem  by  cutting  a  street  through  the  vile  area.  Why  not  solve  this  by  building  a 
boardwalk  ? 

We  are  xot  professional  reformers,  neither  do  we  claim  to  be  philanthropists.  We  are  simply  busi- 
ness MEN  WHO  II AVE  CIIOSEX  THIS  WEST  END  SECTION  OF  CoXEV  ISLAXD  AS  A  PLACE  OF  RESIDEXCE  FOR  OUR- 
SELVES AND  OUR  FAMILIES. 

In  the  foregoing  paragraphs,  some  of  the  objectionable  features  have  been  shown  in  a  manner  that  but 
leads  up  to  the  real  conditions.  W  hile  there  is  much  to  be  condemned,  there  is  also  much  to  be  commended. 
In  ibis  latter  class  is  the  Sea  Breeze  Home,  an  all  year  'round  hospital  maintained  by  the  Xew  York  Society 
for  the  Improvement  of  the  Condition  of  the  Poor.  The  home  is  located  at  Twenty-eighth  street  and  is  shown 
in  the  plate  captioned  "Smiling  Joe's  Beach." 

The  hospital  is  an  experimental  institution  for  the  treatment  of  children  suffering  with  tuberculosis  of 
the  bone,  glands  and  spine. 

The  association  sends  thousands  of  mothers  and  children  from  congested  tenements  each  year  for  a  one. 
two  or  three  weeks'  vacation  at  the  beach.  At  Sea  Breeze  there  is  an  abundance  of  sunlight,  fresh  air  and 
bracing  salt  breezes,  and  the  beach  is  always  an  alluring  playground.  Here  the  association  has  for  seven  years 
demonstrated  the  efficacy  of  treating  at  the  seaside  cases  of  non-pulmonary  tuberculosis  in  children.  The  hos- 
pital was  started  in  1904  in  tents  on  the  sand,  but  was  soon  transferred  to  the  building  where  at  this  writing 
forty-three  little  girls  and  boys  are  living  demonstrations  that  tuberculosis  of  the  bones,  joints  and  glands  can 
be  thoroughly  cured  by  the  constant  sea  air,  good  food  and  proper  attention  from  doctors  and  nurses. 

Other  institutions  of  great  good  are  the  Roman  Catholic  Orphan  Asylum  summer  home,  Plate  Five,  and 
the  Health  Homes  of  the  Xew  York  Children's  Aid  Society,  shown  on  Plate  Seven.  These  last  named  institu- 
tions are  operated  only  in  the  summertime,  but  from  year  to  year  are  extending  the  length  of  each  season.  In 
a  small  way  these  associations  manage  to  restrict  the  beach  from  private  encroachment,  but  a  careful  consider- 
ation of  the  interests  of  their  own  charges  makes  necessary  an  attempt  to  keep  their  reservations  free  from  the 
general  public. 


I 'age  Eight 


PLATE  THREE  TAKEN  FROM    WEST  T II I RTY-T 1 1 1 RI)  STREET,  LOOKING  EAST. 

The  jetties,  bulkheads  and  exclusiveness  are  still  with  us.    All  the  beach  shown  is  under  water  at  hi^h  tide,  and  none  1 
"toll  payers"  may  use  it. 

Page  N 


OUR  hundred  thousand  people  visit  this  beach  on  Sundays  and  holidays  and  the  special  attractions 
are  the  Air,  the  Ocean  and  the  Sunshine,  yet  these  are  apparently  farmed  out  to  the  tax-gathering 
"Beach  Barons,"  and  they  certainly  have  capitalized  them. 
Take  a  look  at  our  pictures  of  the  beach  ! 
The  entire  set  was  taken  on  Sunday,  July  28,  1912,  when  the  tide  was  at  extreme  low  mark.  This  means 
that  nearly  every  foot  of  the  beach  front  shown  is  under  water  at  high  tide;  that  the  promenaders  shown  in 
the  pictures  must  retreat  within  the  building's  or  to  Surf  avenue  when  the  tide  is  high,  and  that  the  land 
claimed  by  The  People,  between  high  and  low  water,  with  but  few  exceptions,  is  theirs  now  for  the  little  use 
they  can  make  of  it. 

The  encroachment  of  the  ocean  and  the  necessity  for  the  jetties  shown  in  pictures  one,  two  and  three 
have  been  synchronous  with  the  dredging  of  Ambrose  Channel.  With  the  City  control  of  this  Beach  the 
encroachment  mentioned  can  be  overcome  by  the  erection  of  one  large  jetty  at  the  Sea  Gate  end  of  this  channel 
and  all  other  jetties  can  then  safely  be  demolished. 

It  is  necessary  to  be  a  guest  of  one  of  the  hotels  along  this  strip  indicated  in  pictures  one,  two  and  three 
to  get  even  a  glimpse  of  the  Ocean.  This  rule  applies  along  the  whole  length  of  the  beach,  with  but  few  ex- 
ceptions. The  fact  is,  there  is  but  one  street  that  is  physically  and  legally  opened  from  Surf  avenue  to  the 
beach — West  Twenty-third  street. 

West  Tenth  street  is  privately  owned,  and  is  closed  in  on  both  sides  by  barriers.  West  Twenty-first  street 
is  some  two  hundred  feet  short  of  reaching  the  beach.  All  other  access  to  the  beach  is  through  narrow,  pri- 
vately owned  alleys  leading  to  "toll  gate"  hotels  and  pavilions  at  the  beach  end. 

Everything  here,  physical,  moral  and  political,  is  haphazard.  There  is  no  comprehensive  scheme  of  devel- 
opment.   All  previous  administrations  of  the  city  government  have  trifled  with  the  situation. 

The  present  administration  of  the  City  Government,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  it  has  had  many  weighty 
problems  to  dispose  of,  has  given  more  attention  to  Coney  Island  than  all  previous  administrations  combined. 
In  response  to  an  appeal  made  by  this  League  on  the  fourth  day  of  January  of  this  year,  there  was  appointed  a 
Special  Committee  composed  of  Comptroller  Prendergast,  President  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  Mitchel  and 
Borough  President  Steers,  to  investigate  and  report  as  to  the  physical  requirements  of  Coney  Island. 


1'ayc  Ten 


I'l.ATK  1'OL'R 


Taken  at  West  Thirtieth  Street,  Looking  East. 


The  building  shown  in  the  picture  extends  some  fifty  feet  into  the  water  at  high  tide,  and  its  exclusiveness  is  somehwat  inter- 
fered with  because  of  access  to  the  beach  through  a  narrow  right-of-way. 


fag?  /:/«"■«•  ii 


This  committee  gave  a  hearing-,  on  February  7,  iy  12,  at  the  Comptroller's  office,  on  the  subject  of  a  board- 
walk for  Coney  Island's  beach.    Up  to  the  present  writing  no  report  has  been  made. 

At  this  hearing  one  of  the  committee  expressed  his  views  in  the  following  language:  "The  bare  situation 
is  that  you  Coney  Islanders  wish  this  improvement  because  it  will  help  you  commercially.  Is  it  fair  to  ask  the 
city  to  bear  all  the  expense  of  an  improvement  which  is  simply  intended  for  the  commercial  profit  of  a  few  peo- 
ple?" Also:  "As  a  member  of  the  Hoard  of  Estimate  I  am  absolutely  opposed  to  charging  the  improvement 
against  the  city." 

This  League  desires  to  again  emphasize  the  fact  that  no  member  thereof  has  any  interest  in  property  lo- 
cated on  this  beach  and  that  it  has  no  personal  interest  in  the  manner  of  assessment. 

The  claims  of  this  League  are  that  the  land  between  low  and  high  water  is  common  land  and  that  the 
beach  should  be  a  broad  public  highway. 

To  meet  this  requirement  the  City  of  New  York  should  acquire  by  condemnation  or  cession  that  strip  of 
land  lying  between  the  high-water  line  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  a  parallel  line  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet 
upland  of  the  said  high-water  line  and  extending  from  the  Dreamland  property  to  West  Thirty-seventh 
street,  together  with  all  rights  to  the  land  under  water  contiguous  thereto. 

That  a  boardwalk  be  built  sixty  feet  in  width  and  covering  the  further  upland  portion  of  the  area  first 
mentioned. 

That  the  land  and  boardwalk  when  built  be  put  under  the  control  of  the  Park  Department. 
That  the  boardwalk  be  built  of  a  height  above  grade  level  to  permit  of  a  basement  story  to  all  buildings 
abutting  on  the  land  side  of  the  boardwalk. 

That  the  entire  beach  be  kept  free  from  all  obstructions  to  the  view  from  this  boardwalk. 
That  all  streets  be  opened  to  the  boardwalk. 
That  Coney  Island  be  put  within  the  fire  limits. 
That  the  entire  environment  be  made  morally  clean. 

The  language  of  the  member  of  the  Committee  quoted  in  a  previous  paragraph  leaves  the  impression 
that  the  city  would  start  this  enterprise  but  for  the  consideration  of  costs. 

The  committee  need  fear  no  genuine  opposition  from  the  "Beach  Barons."  These  people  well  know  that 
their  remaining  land  will  more  than  double  in  value.    They  will  make  all  manner  of  stipulations  and  conditions 


Page  Twelve 


I'a^f  Thirteen 


as  to  the  plan  of  the  walk,  the  right  to  build  piers  and  buildings  on  the  ocean  side  of  the  walk,  and  the  mode  of 
assessment  for  cost  ;  and  any  proposition  to  dicker  with  them  for  the  cession  of  their  property  will  end  in  fiasco. 

They  will  submit  survey  maps  showing  that  their  land  formerly  extended  several  hundred  feet  ocean  wards 
of  the  present  high-water  line  and  they  will  submit  photographs  of  buildings  with  considerable  free  beach  in 
front,  and  they  will  show  other  photographs  of  the  same  buildings  now  partially  under  water.  Then  they 
will  quote  the  opinion  of  the  Corporation  Counsel  given  in  reference  to  the  city  land  now  under  water  in  front 
of  the  Parkway  I  laths  and  claim  the  right  of  redemption.  They  will  revive  their  scheme  of  building  this  board- 
walk some  three  hundred  feet  from  shore,  thus  obliterating  all  beach  that  they  may  grab  the  intervening  land 
on  which  to  erect  buildings. 

The  conditions  pictured  and  described  herein  call  for  prompt  action.  The  Hoard  of  Kstimate.  by  follow- 
ing the  Charter  provisions  and  at  once  appointing  a  commission  in  condemnation  for  this  strip  of  land,  setting 
the  area  and  mode  of  assessment  as  may  seem  just  and  equitable,  can  do  much  to  eliminate  the  vileness  com- 
plained of  and  at  once  wipe  away  the  shame  of  past  neglect. 

To  offset  the  opinion  held  by  a  number  of  public  officials  that  this  boardwalk  was  but  a  local  requirement, 
this  League,  during  the  summer,  entered  into  this  publicity  campaign. 

Twenty-four  thousand  post  card  petitions  for  this  boardwalk,  addressed  to  the  members  of  the  Hoard  of 
Estimate  Committee,  were  printed  and  offered  to  the  visiting  public  for  their  signatures.  On  Sunday,  August 
4th,  ten  thousand  of  these  petitions  were  signed  in  two  hours,  and  (hiring  the  following  week  the  remaining 
fourteen  thousand  were  signed.  This  public  response  surely  indicates  that  the  masses  from  all  over  the  city  not 
only  desired  a  boardwalk,  but  that  they  readily  agreed  by  their  actions  that  the  proposed  walk  was  not  a  local 
but  a  great  general  improvement. 

W  e  are  now  making  a  further  appeal  for  moral  support  and  assistance.  This  time  such  appeal  is  made 
to  thinking  members  of  this  community,  to  clergymen,  to  settlement  workers,  to  civic  organizations,  and  to  de- 
cent folk  generally. 

In  appealing  to  this  class  vve  do  not  think  it  is  necessarv  to  enlarge  upon  the  possibilities  of  this  beach  lor 
the  health  and  enjoyment  of  the  community. 

This  initial  plan  is  offered  as  a  foundation  on  which  they  may  devise  the  superstructure. 


I'd'/e  Vourltin 


The  general  scheme  of  a  boardwalk  as  proposed  by  the 
West  End  Improvement  League  is  as  follows: 

1  That  the  city  acquire  by  condemnation  or  cession  that 
strip  of  land  lying  between  the  high  water  line  of  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  and  a  parallel  line  f60  feet  upland  of  the  said  high 
water  line  and  extending  from  the  Dreamland  property  to 
West  37th  Street,  together  with  all  rights  to  land  under 
water^ojitiguous^thereto^  gQ  ^  |n  wjd(h  anrf  covering  ,he  further  upland  portion  of  the  area  first  mentioned. 

3'  That  the  land  and  boardwalk  when  built  be  put  under  the  control  of  the  Park  Department. 

t.  That  the  boardwalk  be  built  of  a  height  above  the  grade  level  to  permit  of  a  basement  story  to  all  buildings 
abutting,  on  the  land  side  of  the  boardwalk. 

5.  That  the  entire  beach  be  kept  free  from  all  obstructions  to  the  view  from  this  boardwalk. 

6.  That  all  streets  be  opened  to  the  boardwalk. 

7.  That  Coney  Island  be  put  within  the  fire  limits.   


Page  Sixteen 


/'.!.;■•  \.  ;  enleen 


It  upon  the  perusal  of  this  booklet  you  find  yourself  in  sympathy  with  the  movement,  send  in  your  name 
and  an  acknowledgement  of  your  willinj^ness  to  serve  on  our  Citizens'  Committee. 

yours  sincerely, 

West  Knd  Improvement  Leac.ue  op  Coxev  Island 


1 


President 


Secretary 
Surf  Ave.  and  \Y.  24th  St., 

Conev  Inland.  X.  Y. 


PLATE  SEVEN  T.\KEN    I 'ROM    W'l-.ST    TWENTY-TII IRD    STREET,    LOOKING  EAST. 

The  property  of  the  New  York  Children's  Aid  Society.  The  fence  is  erected  along  the  high-water  line.  West  Twenty- 
third  street  is  open  to  the  beach  and  the  people  have  taken  advantage  of  it.  Here  they  have  the  land  between  high  and  low 
water,  but  is  it  sufficient,  and  what  purpose  does  it  answer  when  the  tide  is  high? 


M\  X  a  meagre  sense,  the  methods  at  Sea  Breeze  are  well 
ll^^flll^y  illustrated  by  the  photos  showing  the  institutions  best 
^«wi^J  known  case  "Smiling  Joe."  The  latter,  while  in  no  sense 
—  the  most  remarkable  ease  treated  under  the  system 
adopted,  won  for  himsell  the  sobricpiet  he  bears  by  reason  of  the 
faet  that  no  matter  what  pain  he  endured,  a  bright  smile  always 
wreathed  his  features.  The  two  smaller  reproductions  show  the  little  fellow  while  undergoing  treatment  strapped  to  a 
"Bradford  Frame,"  and  at  a  later  period,  enjoying  the  ozone  from  off  the  great  and  broad  Atlantic.  The  larger 
picture  shows  a  grotipe  of  little  patients  taking  open  air  treatment  on  a  bright,  crisp,  cold  day  in  winter;  a  silent 
but  forceful  tribute  to  the  justice  of  the  claims  made  for  Coney  Island  as  a  health  resort  whose  benefits  are  free  to 
those  who  will  but  partake  of  them  whether  in  the  torrid  heat  of  the  summer,  or  w  hile  Old  Boreas  sings  his  wild  songs 
in  the  frigid  months  of  the  year. 


I'aije  Twenty 


A- 


K  i-'^ht  Taken  from  West  Twenty-second  Street,  Looking  East. 

The  foreground  is  the  property  of  the  Brooklyn  Children's  Aid  Society  and  the  public  is  excluded  In  a  wire  fence  extending 
into  the  ocean.   The  front  of  Hering's  Hotel  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  picture  is  the  high-water  line. 


Page  Twenty-out 


A 


rE  nine  Taken  from  West  Twentieth  Street,  Looking  East. 

The  owner  of  the  foreground,  Mr.  Ravenhall,  has  shown  good  business  judgment  in  keeping  his  buildings  back  of  the  high- 
water  line.  The  building  and  barbed  wire  fence  extending  into  and  beyond  low  water  is  the  westerly  barrier  of  the  "Steeple- 
chase" and  to  reach  the  beach  on  the  further  end  it  is  necessary  to  either  swim  around  or  make  a  detour  of  four  thousand  feet 
by  way  of  Surf  avenue. 


Cage  Twenty-two 


PLATE  TEN  TAKEN  FROM  THE  FOOT  OF  KENSINGTON  W.M.K,  LOOKING  WEST. 

The  easterly  "Steeplechase"  barbed  wire  barrier.    Between  this  and  No.  Nine  there  is  about  six  hundred  feet  of 
front  that  can  only  be  reached  by  paying  toll  to  the  "Steeplechase." 


ocean 


/'€»•/«"  Ttvi'iily-thrcc 


What  Others  Say 


The  following  is  from  the  Daily  Standard  Union  editorial 
of  February  15,  191 1.  "A  Municipalized  Coney  Island:" 

The  question  of  making  Coney  Island  the  playground 
which  nature  intended  is  a  large  one.  New  York  City,  not  a 
collection  of  individuals  with  thought  of  profits  tomorrow 
and  none  for  a  generation  hence,  should  take  charge.  The 
possibilities  are  unlimited  and  they  can  be  only  realized  by  a 
comprehensive  municipal  scheme. 

If  rich  profits  are  returned  from  the  variegated  amuse- 
ments there  at  present,  its  sections  with  tawdry  and  ram- 
shackle buildings,  its  spots  which  smell  of  low  life,  its  gen- 
eral hodgejx>dge  arrangement,  its  sheep  run  alleys,  its  ob- 
structed beach,  its  countless  faults,  what  would  be  the  value 
of  such  a  site  laid  out  with  taste,  system  and  a  proper  regard 
for  the  wants  of  all  classes  of  citizens?  It  is  an  unworked 
gold  mine  which  the  city  should  take  over  and  exploit.  It  is 
the  people's  pleasure  ground  with  advantages  even  now  which 
are  not  found  in  or  near  any  large  city  on  the  globe. 


The  Church  of  the  Ascension 
5  avenue  and  io  street 

New  York,  August  30.  1012. 

Mr.  James  A.  McDonald,  Secretary, 

Brooklyn,  New  York. 
Dear  Sir: 

On  the  one  occasion  1  visited  Coney  Island  I  was  aston- 
ished at  the  way  in  which  cheap  little  structures  covered  up  the 
beach.    I  could  not  help  contrast  it  with  the  splendid  beach 


at  Revere,  some  eight  or  ten  miles  out  of  Boston,  which  the 
state  has  protected  for  public  use.  even  building  rather  mag- 
nificent public  bath  houses. 

If  the  West  End  Improvement  League  of  Coney  Island 
contemplates  recovering  the  beach  for  public  use.  and  making 
Coney  Island  an  attractive  resort,  instead  of  a  grotesque  col- 
lection of  freak  entertainments.  I  am  very  heartily  in  favor 
of  the  work  of  your  association  and  w  ill  do  what  I  can  to  as- 
sist it. 

Yours  very  truly. 

Percy  T.  t  iran  r. 


Society  of  Inner  Mission  and  RESCUE  Work 
Incorporated 

"our  children  and  oi  k  girls" 
Rev.  \  .  A.  M.  Moktknsi.n,  President, 

51  >  l'ine  Street.  New  York 

Office:    56  l'ine  Street  Children's  Mission  Hall.  No.  1. 

New  York  _'<>8  I  lamilton  Ave..  Brooklyn 

September  3.  101  _•. 

Mr.  James  A.  McDonald.  Sec. 
West  End  Improvement  League. 

Surf  Avenue  and  West  -'.jtli  Street, 
t  1  me\  Island.  N.  Y. 
Dear  Sir: 

J  fully  concur  in  the  view  that  the  waterfront  should  be 
public  propertj  for  the  tree  use  of  everyone  who  will  behave 


I'oye  Twenty-four 


decently,  but  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  my  observations  have  led 
me  to  believe  that  at  present  Coney  Island  is  not  a  place  where 
I  could  advise  people  to  go,  especially  Sunday  afternoon. 

The  scenes  along  the  beach  as  I  have  seen  them  twice 
on  Sunday  afternoon  are  almost  beyond  description,  and  not 
conductive  to  morality.  Therefore,  many  of  those  who  should 
be  benefited  do  not  go  there,  as  they  do  not  want  their  chil- 
dren and  young  people  to  see  the  scenes  enacted.  The  nudity 
and  improper  behavior  of  many  of  the  people  there  are,  mildly 
speaking,  shocking.  The  police  does  not  enforce  the  law  along 
the  beach  ;  in  fact,  when  I  visited  the  beach  I  have  not  seen 
a  policeman  there.  So  far  in  regard  to  the  conditions  on  the 
beach,  then  Coney  Island  itself. 

The  scenes  of  depravity  seen  on  the  streets  there ;  the 
class  of  resorts  in  certain  places;  the  open  transgression  of  the 
law  ;  the  suggestive  and  filthy  picture  machines  ( penny-in-the- 
slot  machines )  along  Bowery ;  the  fortune-telling  establish- 
ments and  so-called  concert  halls,  are  certainly  not  things  or 
places  where  one  can  advise  people  to  go. 

I  consider  Coney  Island  at  present  a  most  dangerous  place 
for  young  people,  especially  girls.  The  police  there  seem  to 
utterly  disregard  their  duty  in  keeping  order  and  forbidding 
illegal  resorts.  As  Coney  Island  is  today,  I  consider  it  a  blot 
upon  civilization  and  a  disgrace  to  New  York. 

I  fully  agree  that  the  beach  should  be  cleared  as  in  your 
scheme  for  a  boardwalk,  but  I  also  believe  that  Coney  Island 
should  be  made  a  wholesome  place,  where  decent  people  could 
go  without  hesitancy  as  to  what  they  may  hear  and  see,  and 
where  a  young  lady  could  go  without  danger  of  being  assaulted 

The  rowdyism  that  is  permitted  to  exist  in  Coney  Island 
at  night  is  almost  beyond  description.  The  scenes  that  can  be 
witnessed  there  after  midnight  hours  one  would  hardly  be- 
lieve possible  in  a  civilized  country. 


If  you  really  stand  for  improvement  of  these  conditions, 
I  am  with  you  and  our  Society  will  be  with  you,  and  I  will 
more  than  gladly  serve  on  any  committee  and  act  in  unison  with 
you.  But  I  am  frank  to  say  that  I  have  found  that  a  good 
deal  of  promised  improvement  in  Xew  York  has  ended  in  air. 
What  we  need  is  systematic  and  energetic  work,  not  spasmodic 
nor  fanatical.  And  if  this  is  what  the  League  stands  for  I 
shall  be  glad  to  co-operate  with  it  in  every  way  possible,  as 
our  Society  is  fighting  the  evils  of  the  City. 

Yours  very  truly, 

V.  A.  M.  MORTENSEN, 

President. 


Woman  Suffrage  Party  of  the  City  of  New  York 
30  E.  34th  St. 
Southwest  Corner  Madison  Ave. 
Borough  of  Brooklyn 
18th  Assembly  District 

Rev.  Miss  Ann  J.  Allebach,  Leader 
939  St.  Marks  Avenue 

939  St.  Marks  Ave.,  Brooklyn,  X.  Y. 

September  3,  19 12. 

Mr.  J.  A.  McDonald,  Secretary. 

W  est  End  Improvement  League  of  Conev  Island. 
My  dear  Mr.  McDonald  : 

I  am  greatly  interested  in  your  letter  of  September  2nd 
and  thank  you  very  much  for  the  opportunity  you  have  given 
me  to  align  myself  with  those  who  have  at  heart  the  welfare, 
physical  and  moral,  of  Coney  Island. 

It  is  in  so  great  a  degree  the  playground  of  the  mass  of 
Xew  Yorkers  that  any  movement  for  its  betterment  should  en- 


/'<)</<'  7'.vt*»i/.v-/itv 


list  the  earnest  support  of  all  who  realize  how  important  a 
part  play  takes  in  the  development  of  a  citizen. 

So  many  things  might  be  done,  the  side  streets  widened 


and  straightened  and  better  paved,  the  abutting  buildings  and 
sheds  made  more  substantial  and  uniform,  and  a  great  auditor- 
ium built,  capable  of  being  opened  on  all  sides  in  good  weather. 


to  be  used  for  concerts  and  for  the  meeting  place  of  so- 
cieties, conventions,  the  proposed  boardwalk  built  of  concrete 
and  providing  for  a  drive  with  trees  on  both  sides.  And  so 
most  important  it  is  that  this  great  stretch  of  beach  front  from 
Manhattan  Beach  to  Sea  Gate  should  be  thrown  open  to  the 
people,  free  to  anyone  as  long  as  it  is  being  used  wisely  for 
sport  or  for  the  sheer  enjoyment  of  the  ocean  panorama.  W  ho 
can  measure  the  effect  of  the  latter? 

I  never  go  to  Coney  Island  without  thinking  sadly  of 
the  splendid  advantage  taken  by  Boston  of  the  Revere  Beach 
Boulevard,  where  one  has,  with  a  smaller  stretch  to  start  with, 
a  wonderful  drive  along  the  shore  with  nothing  between  it 
and  the  beach.  This  is  a  part  of  the  Boston  Park  system,  the 
Metropolitan  Park  District  including  several  municipalities 
administered  by  a  commission  of  five  appointed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor. The  Bay  State  understands  the  conserving  of  her  natu- 
ral resources  for  the  good  of  all  her  citizens ;  let  us  not  lag 
behind. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Ann  J.  Allebagu. 


Page  Twenty-six 


POULY  S  BEACH.B 
HIND  OFFICE  ><gr  J 

HVKTE  BEACH -'NO  PERSON  W 
.EO  TS  UHOWroOWTmS  BEACH  B 


PLATE  TWELVE 


The  Bowery  Section.  Looking  West. 
A  jetty  built  on  the  line  of  the  sign  to  the  left  of  the  picture  is  responsible  for  the  made  land  in  the  foreground,  but  high 
water  extends  beneath  all  the  buildings  shown  in  the  picture.    Read  the  sign:    "Private  Beach — No  person  allowed  to  undress 
on  this  beach." 


I'ai/e  Twenty- eight 


PLATE  THIRTEEN  TlIE   BOWERY   SECTION,   LoOKINC  K.\ST. 

This  beach,  together  with  what  is  shown  in  pictures  ten,  eleven  and  twelve,  is  all  under  water  at  high  tide  and  is  bounded 
on  the  east  by  the  Petersen  barrier,  and  on  the  west  by  the  "Steeplechase"  barrier  shown  in  picture  ten.  To  escape  a  tire  along 
the  Bowery  this  mob  would  have  to  take  to  the  ocean.  Note,  also,  a  portion  of  the  privately  owned  boardwalk,  used  t<>  its  full 
capacity  below  and  al>ove. 


Pagt  Ttmttty-Huu 


PLATE  FOl  RTEEN      LOOKING  EAST  OVER  THE  "DREAMLAND"  PROPERTY.     THE  MUNICIPAL  BATHS  IN  THE  DISTANCE. 

This  picture  was  taken  ten  minutes  later  than  No.  Thirteen.  This  property  is  entirely  open  to  the  public,  who  seemingly 
have  no  iw  fur  anything  beyond  the  immediate  beach  front.  I »y  reserving  one  hundred  feet  of  beach  and  sixty  feet  of  board- 
walk the  city  can  sell  the  rest  of  the  "Dreamland"  acquisition  for  more  than  the  entire  cost  of  all. 


Page  Thirty 


In  Favor  of 


Among  those  who  are  in  favor  of  this  project  and  who 
have  consented  to  act  on  our  Citizens'  Committee  are : 

Dr.  Samuel  Buchler,  Rahbi  of  People's  Synagogue,  of 
the  Educational  Alliance  of  Xew  York  City. 

Rev.  F.  B.  Clausen,  Ev.  Lutheran  Church  of  the  Epiphany 
of  New  York. 

John  B.  Creighton,  Esq.,  Brooklyn  Borough  Secretary, 
representing  the  Fiske  Terrace  Association. 

Hon.  James  F.  Duhamel,  Senator,  8th  District. 

Rev.  Henry  Otis  D wight.  Secretary  of  the  American 
Bible  Society. 

Rev.  John.  H.  Dooley,  Corpus  Christi  Chapel,  X.  Y. 
Rev.  Dr.  John  H.  Edwards,  122  Willow  St.,  Brooklyn. 
W.  Fred.  Silleck,  President  of  the  Erie  Basin  Board  of 
Trade. 

Rev.  Horace  R.  Fell,  B.D.,  St.  Alban's  Church,  High- 
bridge,  N.  Y. 

Rev.  Percy  T.  Grant,  Church  of  the  Ascension,  5th  Ave. 
and  10th  St.,  N.  Y. 

John  H.  Brouwer,  President  of  the  Grand  St.  Board  of 
Trade. 

Rev.  James  E.  Holmes,  D.D.,  Supt.  of  the  Brooklyn  and 
Long  Island  Church  Society. 

Rev.  William  Mortimer  Hughes,  Ph.D.,  Pastor  of 
Cropsey  Ave.  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Rev.  Ann  J.  Allebach,  939  St.  Mark's  Ave.,  Brooklyn. 

Mrs.  Belle  Lindner  Israles,  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Amusement  Resources  of  Working  Girls. 

Rev.  M.  A.  Layton,  Supt.  New  York  East  Annual  Confer- 
ence of  the  Methodist  Church,  Brooklyn,  South  District. 


the  Project 

Rev.  Samuel  J.  Levinson,  671  Westminister  Road,  Bklyn 

Rev.  Cleland  B.  McAfee,  Pastor  of  the  Lafayette  Ave. 
Presbyterian  Church,  Brooklyn. 

Rev.  Y.  A.  M.  Mortensen,  President  of  the  Society  of  In- 
ner Mission  and  Rescue  Work. 

Rev.  James  Stuart  Neill,  St.  Matthew's  Church,  Wood- 
haven,  X.  Y. 

Louis  Heaton  Pink,  President  of  the  Brooklyn  Neighbor- 
hoods Association. 

Rev.  L.  O.  Rotenbach,  German  Presbyterian  Church, 
Brooklyn. 

Rev.  Henry  S.  Stimson,  Pastor  Manhattan  Congl.  Church 

Rev.  Leslie  Willis  Sprague,  Secretary  of  the  X.  Y.  Fed- 
eration of  Churches. 

Rev.  John  H.  Sattig,  Rector  St.  Philip's  Church.  Dyker 
Heights,  Brooklyn. 

Rev.  Wm.  F.  Schoenfeld,  Pastor  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Immanuel  Church  of  Xew  York. 

Major  John  W.  Tumbridge,  Supt.  of  Highways.  Borough 
of  Brooklyn. 

Rev.  Charles  Henry  Webb.  Archdeacon  of  Brooklyn. 

Rev.  Geo.  H.  Wallace,  60  E.  92nd  St..  X.  Y. 

Rev.  G.  Frederick  Wells,  Assistant  Secretary  Federal 
Council  of  the  Churches  of  Christ  in  America. 

Rev.  Herman  E.  Schmatz.  German  Presbyterian  Church. 
Brooklyn. 

Elizabeth  M.  Griffith.  A.B..  A.M..  939  St.  Mark's  Ave.. 
Brooklyn. 

Rev.  J.  II.  F.  Boese,  St.  John's  German  M.  E.  Church, 
Brooklyn. 


rays  Thirty-one 


